An electronic chassis which houses electronic components for high speed telecommunication and networking applications typically includes a plurality of vertically oriented circuit boards that are inserted into the chassis. A plurality of circuit board guides are typically located along the bottom of the chassis that define a plurality of slots that guide the circuit board as it is being inserted into the chassis. Conventional circuit board guides are typically formed in a bottom wall of the electronic chassis.
Conventional circuit board guides are generally rectangular in shape and extend along the bottom of the electronic chassis. However, certain circuit board guides do not extend all the way from front of the chassis to the back of the chassis. As a result, the front end of each of the card guides (the end closest to the front of the chassis), which is generally perpendicular to the slots formed between the circuit board guides, is typically located well inside of the front of the chassis. As a result, there is a significant gap between the front of the chassis and the point at which the slots begin.
The disadvantage of this arrangement is that during insertion of the circuit boards into the chassis, the leading edge of the circuit board may contact the front end of one of the circuit board guides unless the circuit board is perfectly aligned with one of the slots. This arrangement does not allow for any variance in the alignment of the circuit board, which may make the initial insertion of the circuit board into the chassis difficult.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to have an apparatus for aligning a circuit board assembly to an electronic chassis that overcomes the disadvantages described above.